Oil and Gas Leasing Program

Oil and natural gas development on the public’s land and the public’s mineral estate provides an economic driver for Colorado’s economy, with 44,978 Colorado jobs supported by energy and mineral development on Colorado’s public lands, generating $9.5 billion in economic activity last year.

Roughly 90 percent of oil and natural gas development in Colorado occurs on state and private land. The State of Colorado has led the nation in providing a regulatory framework to manage this development in an environmentally responsible manner on state and private lands.

The BLM also has a robust regulatory framework, mandated by laws like the Mineral Leasing Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and many other federal laws and regulations.

We manage the public’s land and mineral estate for multiple uses, ranging from energy development to wildlife habitat to recreation and conservation. To help better balance these often conflicting demands on our public lands, the BLM implemented oil and natural gas leasing reform in 2010. These reforms provide the public more involvement earlier in the process to better inform our decisions, and help reduce conflict, protests and litigation.